This invention relates to oversized paper that is punched or otherwise cut so the paper can be stored in standard sized ring binders, and to paper punches and cutters that make it possible for oversized paper to be adapted for storage in ring binders that are smaller than the oversized paper.
Correspondence, reports and documents are most often printed on paper of so-called standard sizes, that is, on paper of sizes that have come to be commonly used in a given situation or in a given field. In the United States and some other countries, paper that measures 8xc2xd by 11 inches is the standard size used by most businesses, most schools, and by many individuals. The 8xc2xd by 11 inch paper is sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9cletter sizedxe2x80x9d paper. Many file cabinets and many file binders, including ring binders, are sized to hold xe2x80x9cletter sizedxe2x80x9d paper. However, in some other fields, law for example, larger sized paper is the standard. In law, standard sized paper measures 8xc2xd by 13 inches or 8xc2xd by 14 inches. Many legal documents, including pre-printed legal agreements, are printed on xe2x80x9clegal sizedxe2x80x9d paper that is 8xc2xd by 13 or 8xc2xd by 14 inches. There are file cabinets and file binders sized to hold legal sized paper, and these are extensively used by those in fields where legal sized paper is the standard. Legal sized file cabinets and file binders are used less by those who use letter sized paper in the normal course of their affairs.
Sometimes those who use letter sized paper will also have a document or agreement that is printed on legal sized paper, and those who use the letter sized paper will want to file the oversized legal document along with their letter sized papers. This can be done in a non-bound file folder by merely folding the legal sized document so it fits in the non-bound file folder. However, if the letter sized papers are bound for example, in a letter sized xe2x80x9cleft side edgexe2x80x9d ring binder, the folded legal paper will not fit within the letter sized binder unless the oversized legal paper is folded 90 degrees relative to the ring binder""s edge, and then additional ring binder punch outs are punched through the left folded edge of the oversized legal paper. This solution works as long as the contents of the oversized legal paper under the xe2x80x9cfoldxe2x80x9d do not have to be viewed. If they do, it is necessary for the viewer to open the rings on the ring binder, and take out from the ring binders at least the folded portion of the oversized legal document. This is not convenient.
Thus there is a need for an oversized sheet of paper that can be folded for storage in a smaller sized ring binder and further adapted in such a way as to provide a secure binding of the folded oversized sheet, and yet still allow access to the entire oversized sheet when it is unfolded, without opening the loose leaf binder rings. Furthermore, there is a need for users to be able to create the necessary punch outs and cutouts in oversized sheets of paper lacking such, so as to make oversized sheets conveniently storable in smaller sized ring binders. These punch outs and cutouts can be created by suitable paper punches or cutters, alone or in combination with punches that create standard punch outs for standard ring binders.
An object of the invention is to provide a sheet of paper that is oversize for the ring binder in which it is stored, yet can be folded to fit within the binder, and unfolded without the necessity of opening any of the binder rings.
Another object is to provide punch means that will make a cutout in an oversized sheet of paper not having the cutout invention.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a fold line indicator on an oversized sheet of paper that indicates where the paper should be folded in order to utilize the properties of the invention.
In one aspect, the present invention is an oversized sheet of paper having one or more punch outs for a standard sized ring binder and at least one cutout therein that allows the oversized paper to be bound in a standard sized ring binder when the oversized paper is folded at 90 degrees relative to binding edge, and further allows the oversized paper to be unfolded for viewing without releasing the ring binders of the standard sized ring binder.
In one form, the oversized paper of the invention has at least one punch out through which a ring on a standard ring binder can pass, and at least one cutout therein extending to the edge of the paper that will be bound within the ring binder. For example, when the oversized paper is legal sized paper measuring 8xc2xd by 14 inches, and the storage binder is a 3-ring binder designed to store 8xc2xd by 11 inch letter sized paper, the cutout of the present invention will be on the left lateral edge of the oversized paper.
According to the invention, the cutout(s) can be of any shape that allows the bound oversized paper, when folded 90 degrees relative to the binding edge, to lie relatively flat in the binder without interference or obstruction from the binder rings, and still be unfolded without opening the binder rings. Various possible shapes of cutouts are illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5. In preferred form, the cutout will have a first cutout portion that allows a ring of a ring binder to pass through it without interference when it is in a folded position, and a second cutout portion that extends the cutout to the binding edge of the oversized paper. In a most preferred form, the first cutout portion will have a xe2x80x9cstandardxe2x80x9d punch out that will partially encircle the binder ring(s), which would otherwise obstruct and prevent the folded oversized paper from lying flat in the binder. Also in a most preferred form, the second cutout portion will be a narrow neck extending from the rounded circular edges of the first portion of the cutout, to the binding edge of the paper, the neck having either straight or curvilinear parallel sides. In another preferred form, the narrow neck of the second cutout portion is flared at the paper edge, giving this cutout a keyhole shape. Other preferred forms include cutouts with divergent straight or curvilinear sides. By means of any of such cutouts, the oversized paper can be folded and bound in the standard sized binder, and still unfolded for viewing without opening the binder rings.
In another form, a portion of the corner of the oversized paper is removed (or perforated so it can be torn away by the user) so that when the oversized paper is folded 90 degrees relative to binding edge, the cutout allows the fold of the oversized paper to fit within the binder without touching the binding rings. For example, if the binder is a 3-ring binder for 8xc2xd by 11 inch letter sized paper, and the paper is legal sized, measuring 8xc2xd by 14 inches, a rectangular section is cutout from the lower left corner of the legal sized paper so that when the 8xc2xd by 14 inch legal sized sheet is folded 90 degrees relative to the binding edge of the paper, and punched with a standard 3-hole punch, the legal sized paper can be folded and stored in the letter sized 3-ring binder and unfolded for viewing without releasing the ring binders.
The oversized paper may include a xe2x80x9cfold line indicatorxe2x80x9d to show where the oversized paper is to be folded, so the oversized paper will be storable in a binder of smaller size according to the teaching of the invention. The fold line may be indicated by an ink stamp, an embossed mark, a cut, such as a notch, or any other means that indicates where the oversized paper is to be folded.
In another aspect, the present invention comprises paper punches and cutting devices, operable by a user, which make at least one cutout in an oversized sheet of paper that allows the oversized paper to be secured in a standard sized ring binder when the oversized paper is folded, at 90 degrees relative to the binding edge, and further allows the oversized paper to be unfolded for viewing without releasing the ring binders of the standard sized ring binder.
The cutout punch can be single, that is, one which only makes a cutout of the invention and is not associated with any other type of punch device, such as a standard three-hole punch. Alternatively, the cutout punch of the invention can be incorporated as part of a punch device that produces standard punch outs for a ring binder. In its single form, the punch can be used to add a cutout to a sheet of paper that contains standard ring binding holes, so as to allow easy storage of the oversized sheet in a standard sized ring binder. In its incorporated form, the cutout punch of the invention will be incorporated into standard hole punching devices. The cutout punch of the invention may be incorporated into standard three hole punches, either the heavier desk top types or the portable types made to be carried from place to place, in book bags or ring binder, for example. In this form a punch device that is designed to make standard punch outs for a ring binder will have an additional cutout punch placed as to create the cutout in the location needed to allow the oversize paper to be stored in a folded condition.
When the cutout punch of the invention is incorporated into standard punches, means for indicating the fold line can also be incorporated into the punches. For example, the fold line may be indicating by a fold line indicator punch head incorporated into a standard desk top punch, along with the cutout punch of the invention.
This invention is applicable to any binding methods that operate by having pre-formed or user-formed holes in the paper, no matter what the shape, material, or location of the binding ring or other binding device. Thus, the invention applies also to those bindings at which the holes are on the upper edge of the paper, and for which it is desirable to bind an oversize paper folded along either the right or left edges, or both, in a manner which permits the paper to be folded and unfolded without interference from a ring of a ring binder or without the necessity of opening a binder ring.
For use in the present specification and claims, the terms of art listed below are defined as follows:
Oversized sheet of paper: A sheet of paper that is too large to fit in chosen storage means without modification. The portion of the oversized sheet of paper that does not fit within the chosen storage means is the non-standard size portion of the oversized sheet of paper. An example of an oversized sheet of paper is a legal sized sheet of paper that one wants to store in a standard letter sized ring binder.
Punch Out: A punch out is an area in a sheet of paper from which the paper has been removed so that a ring of a standard ring binder can pass therethrough. To be bound in a standard three ring binder an oversized sheet of paper has three colinear punch outs: a first outer punch out, a middle punch out and second outer punch out. A standard punch out is round.
Ring Binder: A method of holding sheets of paper in a binder using punch outs in the paper and a ring which passes through the punch outs.
Cutout: A cutout is an area in an oversized piece of paper from which the paper has been removed. A cutout of the invention can be any shape that extends to the edge of the paper that will be bound within a ring binder and allows a non-standard size portion of an oversized sheet of paper to be folded 90 degrees relative to the binding edge and unfolded without interference from a ring of a ring binder or without the necessity of opening a binder ring.
Fold Line: A fold line is a line perpendicular to the binding edge of an oversized sheet of paper, along which the oversized sheet of paper is folded such that the cutout and punch out are aligned.
Fold Line Indicator: A printed, embossed, slit, or cut marking on an oversized piece of paper indicating the position of the fold line.